Nonsteroidal therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The treatment of interstitial lung disease usually has consisted of corticosteroids with or without either azathioprine or cyclophosphamide. These drugs mainly target the neutrophil. Recently, the role of the Th2 lymphocyte leading to fibrosis has been demonstrated in animal models and preliminary human studies. This finding has led to interest in cytokine therapy with the interferon treatments, which reduce the Th2 response. Other new treatments have focused specifically on the fibroblast or oxygen free radicals. The range of treatment for interstitial lung diseases is increasing. Current clinical trials are in progress to confirm the pilot studies recently reported. The future therapy of interstitial lung disease probably will consist of multiple agents aimed at several aspects of the inflammatory reaction of interstitial lung disease.